What role did prophets have in times of war?

Thomas R. Valletta

“In Moroni’s day it was not merely the secular authorities (generals and chief judges) who established the peace. The high priest of the church, Helaman, worked closely with Moroni to quell dissent. Before the lengthy Nephite-Lamanite wars began, he tried to set the church in order because the dissensions that soon were to plague the nation were evident in the church (Alma 45:20–22). Just as Moroni, the great general, prayed and preached powerfully (Alma 46:16–27), Helaman, the great prophet, took up the sword and led an army (the 2000 stripling warriors) (Alma 56–58). The establishment of peace did not merely mean that the Lamanites were defeated, but also that the gospel was widely preached” (Wardle, “Dissent,” 67).

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